“me, myself, god” is the latest EP release from Jonah Sissoyev, out now on American Standard Time Records. The label met Jonah a few years back at a folk festival, describing him as a ‘towering figure, who makes a full-scale guitar look small.’ However, it is Jonah’s rare sensitivity conveyed through his music that leaves such a memorable and indelible mark.
On ‘Bluebird’, ASTR declare it to be maybe “the most beautiful song you’ll hear all year”. Phrases like this are frequently used in press releases and rarely justified, but in the case of Jonah Sissoyev, I couldn’t agree more. When I first heard Jonah sing of the Bluebird’s ‘tender melody’, it was so visceral that I held my breath. His vocal range is surprising, ranging from raspy depths to a vulnerable soft falsetto, and his timing and delivery are poetic. As you can see in the video below, he is totally in the moment, plunging emotional depths with heartfelt tenderness, accompanied by impeccable finger-picked circular melodies.
It’s an outstanding performance and also, not surprisingly, my Song of the Day.
On “me, myself, god,” Jonah is accompanied by ASTR regulars: Nevada Sowle on bass, Cooper Trail on drums, and Ben Walden on electric guitar. The biblical tones relate to his cathartic exit from christian life. “I spent years in talk therapy,” says Sissoyev, “and I’m just now learning who I am”. Hence the lowercase “g” in the EP’s title.
Seek it out.
Stream me, myself, god: https://lnk.to/jonah-sissoyev-me-myself-god